Lorac Los Angeles Palettes Review & Swatches

I was browsing around Ulta the other day and noticed that they had just put out the new Lorac Los Angeles Palettes ($24 each). From seeing photos and swatches online, I already knew I wanted to buy the Malibu one, but when I saw them in person and started swatching, I found myself torn between three of the five available shades...Malibu, Santa Monica, and Venice Beach.

Even though these palettes are small and travel friendly, the pans are a larger size (comparable to Lorac's Unzipped Palettes rather than the PRO palettes). Each one has four eyeshadow shades and two cheek shades, but they can all be interchangeable as eyeshadows/blush/bronzer/highlighter depending on the palette. This makes them incredibly versatile and perfect for taking along in your bag for touch-ups or on vacation.

The formula is also fantastic...Lorac rarely disappoints me. But there's something extra about these...dare I say, they're almost better than the PRO palettes. I don't know if it's my imagination or maybe the larger pan size that makes getting into the shadows easier, but either way, the powders are super smooth, highly pigmented, and blend like a dream! They're also made in the U.S.A. which is always a good thing.

Santa Monica:Let your fresh-faced, west side style shine in gunmetal blues and pale peach hues that mirror the Santa Monica sunset in his beach-inspired palette. This breezy palette includes two cheek shades and four eye shadow shades to create your ocean chic Santa Monica style.

As soon as I saw this palette in person, I knew I had to have it. It's warm and peachy with a couple of cooler tones in there as well. I love that there are no deep, dark shades...just light, beachy colors that work really well with my fair to light skin tone.

Shades:

Eyeshadow in Farmers Market (matte warm cream)

Eyeshadow in Promenade (shimmer nude beige)

Eyeshadow in Bungalow (matte mauve taupe)

Eyeshadow in Twilight Tide (shimmer blue silver)

Blush in Silicone Beach (shimmer pale peony)

Blush in Sunset Yoga (matte peach)

Swatches:
All of the shades swatch and apply beautifully, with high-pigmentation and a soft, blendable texture. I love the mostly neutral eyeshadows with that pop of silvery blue (it would look so pretty on the lower lash line). Also Silicon Beach works great as a highlighter on my skin tone and Sunset Yoga is the most beautiful coral peach blush ever! Of course, the blush and highlighter can also be used on the eyes if you want to create some additional looks.

Malibu:Refine your beachside beauty routine with modern mauves, chiffon pinks, and barely there bronze. From sun up to sun down, the beach club has never looked so cool. This uber-chill palette includes two cheek shades and four eye shadow shades to create your free spirit Malibu face.

I was drawn to Malibu right away when these first launched online. I love the shimmery, beachy shades of bronze, mauve, and pink. Maybe I'm basic, but I know I would wear these shades every single day. :)

Shades:

Eyeshadow in Beach House (shimmer pale pink champagne)

Eyeshadow in Morning Surf (matte dusty pink)

Eyeshadow in Cliffside View (shimmer rose gold)

Eyeshadow in Route 1 (shimmer deep bronze)

Blush in Long Board (matte medium tan)

Blush in Afternoon Rosé (shimmer snow pink)

Swatches:

All of the shades swatch beautifully...there were no duds in the palette at all. Long Board and Afternoon Rose are described as blushes, but I like to use Long Board as a bronzer and/or blush and Afternoon Rose as a highlighter. I also use the Morning Surf eyeshadow as a blush...it's such a gorgeous cheek color and the eyeshadow pans are large enough that I can get my smaller e.l.f. blush brush in there very easily.

The other three eyeshadows have a shimmery finish, so I like to use the Long Board bronzer/blush together with them as a matte crease color.

That's one reason I love these palettes so much...you can mix and match the shades so many different ways.

I wasn't sure I wanted this one when I first saw it online, but in person it's stunning. The copper, gold, and plum shades are so rich and beautiful and made me think of fall. The other two palettes I bought are so summery-looking, I thought this would be a little different and something I can use going into the next season.

Shades:

Eyeshadow in Freckles (shimmer gingered copper)

Eyeshadow in Canal (shimmer deep plum)

Eyeshadow in Boho Beauty (shimmer spiced cream)

Eyeshadow in Chill Vibes: (shimmer vintage bronze)

Blush in Boardwalk (shimmer light pink)

Blush in Aviators (shimmer blushed gold)

Swatches:
This palette is the only one I feel like I can't use all on its own due to the fact that every shade has a shimmery finish. When creating an eye look, I do have to pull a matte shade or two out of a different palette but other than that I'm happy with the shade selection...they're so rich and vibrant. The Aviators blush looks really pretty on the cheeks and the shimmer isn't so intense that it looks sparkly or glittery. Also, Boardwalk is a really nice highlight shade if you're pale like I am!

Overall, the new Lorac LA Palettes are definitely worth the price! The quality is amazing and I love how versatile, yet travel (and storage) friendly they are.

Have you tried any of these yet? If not, are you planning to get one (or more)?

FTC: This post is not sponsored. Products featured were purchased by me and all opinions are my own.Links are affiliate links.If you click a link and buy something, I receive a small commission for the sale. It doesn’t cost you anything and if you do use my links, I genuinely appreciate your support.

So pretty, but like Susan Nadler (oddly, my first name is Susan and my last name rhymes with Nadler!), I got one of the Sunset ones, Mountain, and have to rein in the ol' credit card for a bit. Beautiful swatches!

I went to my Ulta to look at the unzipped sunset palettes and one of them was already sold out. So I went to these palettes and I was surprised at how good they looked compared to when I saw them online. I ended up getting the Venice Beach palette and I love it. I have to go back for the Malibu one. I love that the cheek shades can be used as eyeshadows, as well. I've been putting on a pale pink blush then topping it with the two cheek shades from this palette and that creates a great look. The pigmentation is so good on these palettes, not a surprise from Lorac. I loved this review; people can now see just how gorgeous the colors in these palettes are.

Thanks MojoBean, I'm so happy you love them too! Once I got them I was inspired to post my review right away because the online photos don't do them justice. I really didn't make up my mind about them until I saw them in person, so I really wanted to post some good close-ups and swatches so that people can see how gorgeous they are. :) I also love how the cheek shades can be used as eyeshadows...they're such versatile little palettes.

I am really a little disappointed that 10x day is ONLY 10x this year...but anyway...of these the Venice is the standout. I ended up returning Malibu bec the two pans on the left side are identical, and basically weren't appealing enough for me to keep it. I think if that pink shade had actually been the larger pan, that might have been good. But I didn't feel like the highlight and dark bronze shade were worth it for $24 (well 20% off). But venice is amazing.